


A day of freedom

by Akemichan



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Idol!Ace, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-26 05:55:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13229439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akemichan/pseuds/Akemichan
Summary: "You should have say no," Marco said after a while. he started again driving without a precise direction."To the girls?" Ace asked, and Marco nodded. Then Ace shook his head. "No, I shouldn't. Being nice with them is part of my job.""You can't be always at work."Thank to by beta c-dragon-piratesFor the last day of the MarcoAce week





	A day of freedom

"You don't get it, Marco! This is the first time Hancock agrees signing autograph to her fans! I can't miss this opportunity, but all the world will be there! You had to help me!"

Thatch was right: Marco didn't get it. Staying in line for hours, in the crown, only to gain a sign on a paper and an elusive look from a stranger wasn't something worth, for him. Don't take it wrong, there was some famous people Marco liked, from actors to sportive, but that was all. Admiring them from far. They wouldn't become his friend anyway, so he wasn't interesting in meeting them for five minutes.

Still, Thatch was family, so he couldn't let him down, and had agreed to carry him in the building of the TV studios, since Marco had access to the private parking thanking to his work as security guard. That was the only help Thatch got, though. Marco insisted to remain in the parking lot; his excuse was about his job, but truth to be told, he didn't like get embarrassed about Thatch's behavior around the famous actress Boa Hancock. If he would get himself arrested for it, Marco thought, it would be Thatch's own responsibility.

Marco turned off the volume of the radio and look at the watch. Thatch had been inside the building for an hour. Marco had no idea how much it would take for him to get the autograph, even if entering from the service door should have given him an advantage upon other fans, but Hancock was famous for being very elusive when it came to fans.

Sighing for the time loss, Marco closed his eyes and leaned against the seat. He was about to fall asleep, when he heard the sound of the rear car door opening and closing fast, as someone entered. Marco startled, since he was sure to have closed the car, then turned around, ready to mock Thatch about the entire situation.

But it wasn't Thatch sitting on the back seat.

Marco couldn't see the stranger face, since it was lower and hiding by the hood of a hoodie, but he understood he was a boy as he spoke: "Well, you asked me to hurry and here I am. What are you waiting for?"

Whoever the stranger is, he without doubt mistook the car. Marco blinked, wondering how to answer, when the stranger lift his head and saw him. His eyes bulged.

"You're... not Miharu."

"I'm not," Marco confirmed, with a gentle nod.

"I'm sorry. The car was the same type and he told me he was waiting in the parking..." The stranger looked around, embarrassed. "This just show how tired I am. I'm really sorry for the bother."

"No problem."

The hood was still hiding him and his dark hair, but now that his head was lifted, Marco saw his face, cheek sprayed with freckles and big grey eyes. Was he a voice actor, or an idol, Marco wondered.

The stranger had his hand on the handle of the car door, when he stopped, startling. Marco followed the gaze, to locate three girls in the parking lot, few meters away from them. They were looking at the car, their cellphone and their block notes in hands, so Marco guessed they were fans searching for their idol. They shouldn't be there, since the parking lot was reserved for employees, and Marco took a mental note to check better with the security when he would be on service, but at the moment he had something else on hand. Considering the stranger's behavior, the girls were searching for him.

"Something's wrong?" Marco asked.

The stranger pressed his lips, then sighed. "No. Everything's fine." He forced a smile. "I need to look for Miharu now."

He pressed the handle, but Marco was faster in turning on the car. Slowly but steady, he moved the car outside the parking slot. The stranger blinked, but then he covered himself even more with the hood and lowered himself in the back seat. The car passed next to the girls, who tried to look inside, but Marco didn't stop. Few meters, and they were outside the parking and Marco heard the stranger sighing in relief.

"Why did you do this?"

"It looks you weren't comfortable with those girls and they would have spotted you for sure if you would have left the car," Marco explained, even if in his mind he was surprise of his own reaction.

"Thank you," the stranger said, gratitude in his voice. "But now I've bother you even more."

"It's okay. I was bored anyway."

Now that they were outside the parking, the stranger sat still on the back seat, his shoulder leaned on the car door, but he kept the hood.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked, after a while, as Marco drove towards the Rainbow Bridge to get away from the TV Studios.

"No," Marco admitted.

A glimpse of relieve lightened the stranger's face. "I'm Ace," he said. "Thank you for helping me."

"You're welcome. I'm Marco and I'm pleased to meet you." He stopped at the traffic light. "So, while we're at it, where are you supposed to go?"

Ace shrugged. "No idea. Miharu took care of everything."

"Maybe you'd like to call him, then."

"Not really."

"Okay." Marco couldn't help but smile. "Where do _you_ like to go?"

Ace grinned. "I heard they opened a KFC near the station of Keibajo-mae."

"Another one?" Marco commented. He was for more traditional food than fast food.

"Well, I am not allowed to go in one usually... You know..."

"KFC it will be, then."

Marco knew the area around the station, but to be sure he used the GPS. He drove steady in the traffic, letting Ace looking outside the window without speaking. He parked in the most discrete parking lot and went out of the car. Ace took some time to left it, adjusting better his hood, and he looked around as he expected someone to jump at him off the green. When he felt there were no immediate danger, he became more sure and walked happily towards the KFC.

It was smaller than the usual one could find in the shopping mall, and the architecture remembered the traditional japan shop, at least near the cash machine. Only a girl was serving, but there were few clients and, to Marco's relief, they were all middle-age men, so probably no one would be interested in Ace. Ace was still on the door, looking around with a big smile on his face. He breathed hard, as he'd like to assimilate all the smell of fried food, and then sighed satisfied.

"We can go," he said.

"You don't want to eat?" Marco asked, surprised.

"I'd like to, but I don't have any money with me," Ace explained. He diverted his gaze from Marco. "I'm... a lot busy, so I have people taking care of the trivial things. My agenda and everything."

"I'll pay," Marco offered.

"I already bothered you enough..." Ace protested, but Marco was already in front of the waitress.

Five minutes later, he came back with a tray full of boxed, all of them smelling of fried chicken.

"I paid, so you don't get to decide about the food," Marco said, with a smile. "But you can choose where to sit."

Ace grinned. "Okay!"

Of course he picked the less visible table of the fast food, but he sat down with a lot of enthusiasm and definitely more at ease than before. Marco placed the tray in front of him and nodded, inviting him to serve himself. Ace didn't wait for another invitation: he grabbed the first box, opened it, and thrown the fried chicken in his mouth. Marco took his own hamburger, but he was more interested in observing Ace eating. It was a pleasure looking at someone so enthusiastic for something so simple as tasting the menu from a fast food.

Marco cellphone rang, so he was force to turn his attention to check it. On the screen, Thatch's number appeared. Marco looked at it for a couple of second, before rejecting the call. He turned off the cellphone and placed back in his pocket. When he lifted his gaze again, Ace was looking at him with curiosity.

"You don't answer?"

"No. It's not important."

If Thatch had got his autograph, he could get home by himself.

Ace was about to ask something, but he didn't. He lowered his gaze to choose another box. He took some time to decide, but then he went for the chips.

"Were you waiting for someone in that parking?" Ace was chewing one of the chips, but his eyes were attentive.

Marco nodded. "My brother. He asked me to give him a lift because he wanted Boa Hancock's autograph."

"I worked with her a couple times," Ace commented. "She's not exactly friendly with fans, but I can I ask her a favor."

"That would be nice, but if I know my brother, he already got it. He's an idiot, but he's persistent. He's a grow boy that didn't need help to get what he wants."

Ace laughed. "That's why you're abandoning him using me as an excuse?"

"No, that's a revenge for all the trouble he caused me in the past," Marco answered, making Ace laughing even more.

"For real, now," Ace began, once he calmed himself. "Why are you running away? I know why _I'm_ running-"

"Why?" Marco interrupted him.

"Don't change the subject." Ace shook his head. "It's your turn."

"Maybe I'm secretly one of your biggest fan and this is my lucky day."

"Oh, really?" Ace smirked. "Don't get offended, but you look a little older than my usual fans."

"You shouldn't discriminate people because their age."

"So, what is the title of my last song?"

"I could be wrong, but I think it's 'I want fried chicken but I don't have any money'. Am I wrong?"

Ace laughed. "Could you please be serious for a second?"

"Only if you stop being so cute when you laugh," Marco replied.

It worked, because Ace froze on the spot. He blinked and he didn't reply.

"I apologize. I went too far," Marco said.

"No, it's okay." Ace shook his head. "I should be used to people who consider me cute... or handsome... or hot... I work because of it."

Marco decided to change subject. "I'm not sure why I left the parking," he explained. "I was bored waiting for my brother and you really look in distress having to deal with those girls... It comes natural."

"You're an odd man," Ace concluded. "But I like you. You're kinda of the superhero of idols."

It was Marco's time to laugh. "I will think for a name to hide my secret identity, then."

"Okay, let me think... what about-"

"Nothing about pineapple," Marco interrupted him immediately.

"How do you... Of course," Ace understood from Marco' look it was a subject people brought up often. "But it makes things more difficult, I tell... you..." His voice trailed off, as he looked at something behind Marco.

Marco turned around to see the girl he served him before approaching their table with an expression both exciting and embarrassing.

"I'm sorry to bother you..." she murmured, once she reached their table. "It is possible... for any chance... that you're Portgas D. Ace."

For a second, Ace shifted his gaze to Marco, as he was asking for an advice. Marco would have denied it, but Ace didn't wait for it. He nodded.

"Yes."

"Oh, God... This is... I'm...really a fan..." The girl took off her cellphone. "Can I ask for a picture?"

"Sure!"

Ace smiled; he stood up and took off the hood, freeing his dark hair for the first time, so Marco could finally admire his face entirely. Ace placed his arm around the girl's shoulders and his face near hers as she took the picture. Marco studied Ace's face and gesture: he seemed at ease, not bothered at all about the interruption, but when the girl was satisfied with the picture, Ace's movements to let her go was a little bit fast, his shoulder more relaxed than before.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"No problem. Thanks to you for appreciate my work."

The girl left, basically jumped away, but Ace didn't sit down and kept his gaze on her back, as she returned behind the counter.

"We should leave," Marco suggested.

"Not yet," Ace replied.

The girl was speaking with her colleague, showing her the photo on the cellphone. "Told you it was him!" Marco heard her saying.

"Oh, I want one too," her colleagues, probably the one working in the kitchen, exclaimed, and two seconds later, she was at their table. Ace greeted her with a big smile and repeated the same scene as before. But this time, as soon as the girl left, Marco stood up and grabbed Ace's arm. Ace didn't resist as he dragged him outside the fast food, he only put back his hood and then sat quiet on the passenger's seat.

"You should have say no," Marco said after a while. he started again driving without a precise direction.

"To the girls?" Ace asked, and Marco nodded. Then Ace shook his head. "No, I shouldn't. Being nice with them is part of my job."

"You can't be always at work."

Ace made a tiny smile. "It's my way to work," he corrected himself. "Those girls... and people like them are the reason I work. I have no idea why they like me so much, but they do, so at least I can thank them. If a selfie with me make them happy, I'll do it."

Marco's eyes shifted to Ace a second, before returning to the street. "It should be nice being your fan."

"Maybe. I don't really know." Ace shrugged. "I'll do my best."

"How did you become an idol?"

For a second, Marco feared it was an indiscrete question, but Ace reflected a second before answering.

"An accident, probably," he joked, with a smile. "When I was a child I dreamt about being rich and famous. We were poor because... of my father." A dark shadow appeared on his face. "And I have a little brother to take care of. So I took the occasion when it happened. It's not really like I expected it to be, but at least I can help my brother."

"Brothers are really a bother sometimes, but they're worth it." Marco understood Ace wasn't ready to open up entirely, so he decided to change subject.

"Yeah, they are," Ace agreed, with a smile and a gaze that showed he was thinking about something specific his little brother had done in the past.

"So, where you'd like to go now?"

"Bring me to the sea, please."

The time could be short, so Marco had no choice but drove towards the beach of Odaiba. It was afternoon, but the cold air kept most of the people away. Marco parked near the platform and took a look around. The place was too big, so he hoped they wouldn't be noticed. Ace got off the car as he took of the hood. He inhaled the sea breeze and let the wind playing with his dark air.

"I saw the sea every day from the studios," he commented.

Then he started singing. The voice was low, but audible, and it was beautiful. For an instant, with the sound of the waves in the background, Marco felt like an ancient sailor.

"What was that for?" he asked, once Ace finished the song and he was brought back to reality.

Ace smiled. "It's just a thank for everything you did for me today. Well, maybe isn't much, but it's the only think I can think of."

"It's fine," Marco assured him. "It was... gorgeous. But if you'd like-"

Marco never get the change to tell him, because Ace's phone rang. With an apologetic smile and a resigned sigh, Ace answered. "Hi, Isca, I-"

"Where the hell are you?! Miharu was waiting for you for hours and you just disappeared?! Are you out of your mind? You have work to do tonight!"

The voice of the person at the phone was so high Marco heard everything.

"I'm sorry, I... had an accident. I'm at Odaiba right now..."

"Odaiba? What the hell... Oh, never mind. Wait there, I'm sending Miharu to pick you up. Don't move. Do you understand? Don't move!"

"Yeah, yes, I got it." Ace hung up with another sigh. "She's not that bad," he still said to Marco. "She's just a little bit strict."

"My car is still available for a run," Marco proposed, hoping to not look too serious. But he was.

Ace shook his head. "No, you already did too much for me. It was nice, but I had to go back."

"Okay."

"You should go." Ace nodded at the car.

"Let me make you company until your driver arrives."

But Ace shook his head again. "I prefer if he doesn't see you. Not for you, of course, but... You know..."

"I understand," Marco said, earning a small smile from Ace. He took of a pen from his pocked, grabbed Ace's harm and written down his cellphone number on Ace's palm, along with his signature. "You can call me next time you'd like to run away." Then he chuckled at Ace's perplex expression. "First time someone gives you the autograph instead of asking yours?"

Ace laughed. "I'm okay with this. Now go."

Marco nodded and went back to the car. He gave Ace a last look with the rear-view mirror before driving away. 

*** 

"Aren't you a little old for this?" Marco commented, with an eyebrow raised.

He entered in Pops' house only to see Izou and Haruta dancing around in front of the television and he wasn't sure he was more amused or disgusted.

"We're younger in the inside," Izou replied, offended.

"Plus this is the new hit of the week! Everyone's singing it," Haruta added.

"Well, everyone with some taste and a sense of humor," Izou corrected her. "Definitely not for you, Marco. Bet you don't even know who's singing it."

"You're right, I don't know," Marco confirmed, but with a tone that indicated he was okay with his ignorance. "And I don't wanna know, now that I'm listening to it. Does it talk about pineapples? It's stupid."

Haruta and Izou both shot him a pity look, to which Marco answered with an unimpressed stare.

"I let you at your dance and your music for young people," he said. "I'll go check Pops."

He moved towards the office, but before knocking at his father's door, he took off his cellphone.

 

M: Haven't we talk about the all ‘no pineapple things’? 

A: Sorry, I couldn't resist :P Are you ready for another kidnapping? 

M: As always

 


End file.
